Automated processing systems are useful in many applications and fields. For example, automated laboratory systems are used in biotechnology and biomedical industries, e.g., for producing large numbers of samples and screening these samples for a desired property. Such samples include, but are not limited to, chemicals, cells, cell extracts, or genetic material such as cDNA, retroviruses, or anti-sense oligonucleotides. To facilitate faster processing, samples are typically processed together on a multi-well specimen plate, such as a 384 or 1,536 well plate.
Automated systems using specimen plates generally provide faster processing of samples as compared to manual processes. High throughput automated systems typically involve rapid, repetitive manipulations of individual elements. One deficiency in existing technology is that as processing throughputs increase there is a degradation of reliability.
One example of an automated processing system is found in U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,214, which relates to a system having several workstations. A conveyor transport moves specimen plates holding samples between the workstations. Accordingly, the specimen plate moves in a linear fashion from a first processing workstation to the next sequential processing workstation. To move to any workstation, a specimen plate is first retrieved from a central storage rack, and then transported down a long linear track until the plate reaches one of the several workstations. When the plate is at the desired workstation, the plate leaves the first linear track and is placed on a second orthogonal linear track that presents the plate to an automated instrument. This system, however, suffers from a lack of flexibility. The plates must proceed in a linear fashion along the entire track, thus limiting throughput. Further, once the rack, workstation, and cooperating transports are in place, it is difficult to reconfigure the system. In addition, samples in the specimen plates are subjected to an open and unprotected environment for an extended period of time as the plates move from the sample racks to the workstations. Thus, the samples may become impermissibly dry or contaminated.
Another known automated processing system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,952, which relates to a system having a series of processing units arranged to sequentially receive specimen plates holding samples or products. In this system, each individual unit performs a specific task using the specimen plates. Further, each unit has an associated robotic device for receiving a plate from an adjacent unit. The system uses plural robots to perform automated process having several steps. For example, for a unit performing a step in the process, a robot associated with the unit retrieves a specimen plate from the previous unit and moves the specimen plate to the processing position in the unit. When the unit has completed its step, the robot moves the specimen plate to where the next robot can retrieve the plate. In such a manner, the system is cumbersome to operate in a process having many steps and using several different workstations.
Disadvantageously, current high throughput processing systems are limited to unidirectional workflow and inflexible testing regimes. For example, once the testing samples are delivered to a workstation in U.S. Pat. No. 5,985,214 or the interchangeable unit in U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,952, the samples proceed inexorably from one workstation to the next workstation in only one direction. Current systems do not allow for a sample to proceed, for example, from an assaying step, to a dispensing step, and then back to the previous assaying step. Instead, an entirely new workstation must be built subsequent to the dispensing step in order to perform the assay step that was provided two workstations ago. As each workstation is capable of performing only one function, every additional step in current systems involves adding another robot and another workstation, thereby entailing additional alignment, integration and calibration with the overall system.
Therefore, there exists a need for an efficient automated processing system such as a high throughput processing system that is accurate, reliable, and flexible. The demand for high throughput systems with decreased reconfiguration needs that are prone to less contamination and can process samples multi-directionally within the system is as yet unmet. The present invention provides improved high throughput processing systems that fulfill these needs and many others that will be apparent upon complete review of the following disclosure.